Match Preview: Round 21 v Gold Coast SUNS

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The 14th edition of the QClash has plenty riding on it for both clubs.

Gold Coast made the big move of sacking coach Rodney Eade on Monday night, putting the rest of the under-performing football department on notice there might be more changes to come.

Just how the players respond to the adversity will be intriguing.

On the other side, there's the Lions, desperate for victory as they try to avoid the wooden spoon.

The home team has been vastly improved in the past 10 weeks, as shown by last round's narrow loss to the Western Bulldogs, but with just three matches remaining the Lions still sit a game plus percentage from Carlton and North Melbourne.

The Lions upset Gold Coast in the opening match of the season, and with a vastly-depleted Suns outfit running out on Saturday, should be favoured to do so again.

1. The Lions stunned the Suns in the opening quarter in round one, kicking seven goals to two, and by half-time led by 46 points. The Suns kicked 11 goals to four in the second half but fell short. Tom Rockliff had 37 disposals and Dayne Zorko 23 and two goals.

2. One advantage for the Suns could be in the centre clearances, ranked second with an average of 14.3, ahead of the Lions in seventh at an average of 12.9.

3. The Lions hold an 8-5 win advantage in head-to-head matches. They've won five of seven games at the Gabba.

4. The Suns have been poor away from Metricon Stadium this season, winning just two of nine matches and scoring an average of just 76 points a game.

5. Daniel Rich continued his superb season last week and jumped to 54th overall on the AFL's Official Player Ratings. Rich's 24 disposals and two goals against the Western Bulldogs netted him 31.5 rating points – the highest in the AFL in round 20.

IT'S A BIG WEEK FOR …Dean Solomon.The long-time Suns assistant gets his crack at the senior role, taking over from sacked Rodney Eade for the final three games of the season. Solomon has been thrust straight into the pressure cooker with the QClash first up.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs